64-year-old female Latin American receives Elekta VMAT radiotherapy enhanced with Monaco planning software

A 64-year-old female patient with mediastinal metastasis recently became the first in Latin America to receive Elekta VMAT radiotherapy treatment enhanced with Monaco® planning software. Using the arc-based Elekta VMAT delivery method, Monaco displays how the radiation dose should be applied — its distribution and strength on the target. The result is a therapy that not only is rapid, but also fine-tuned to treat cancer and avoid healthy tissues.

The patient completed her five Elekta VMAT treatment sessions at OCA Hospital, each of which lasted less than five minutes. The largest private medical center in Mexico, OCA Hospital is the fifth center in the world to utilize the combined radiation therapy planning and delivery solution.

Since, OCA Hospital has used the technique to treat four additional patients: one with parotid cancer, a patient with a gastrointestinal stromal (GIST) tumor, a third patient with rectal cancer and a patient with prostate cancer.

"The speed of Elekta VMAT is reinforced with sophisticated Monaco planning, which helps us effectively plan around targets and organs-at-risk," says Genaro Levinson, president and CEO of OCA Hospital. "Also, the Monte Carlo dose algorithm enhances the predictability of the dose, so we can confidently deliver the highest therapeutic dose."

A key feature of Monaco is the Monte Carlo dose engine, which ensures the greatest possible therapeutic radiation hits the cancer target, while minimizing the dose to normal healthy tissues.

In addition to its Elekta VMAT/Monaco first, OCA Hospital was the first medical center in Latin America to install Elekta Synergy®, a treatment system equipped with advanced imaging technology to visualize the tumor and critical structures with the patient in the treatment position at the time of treatment.

"OCA leadership and senior management determined to upgrade our oncology department with state-of-the-art technology, including how we could improve Elekta Synergy," Levinson says. "We wanted to be one step ahead of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy [IMRT] with static segments, which we had been doing successfully for years. We envisioned VMAT as an excellent alternative for dynamic IMRT using rapid volumetric arcs."